WOW!

AMAZING NEWS! I just recevied an email from SAO (ASU Study Abroad Office). I applied for a scholarship through their office earlier this semester, and I WON! I won an $800 need-based scholarship :) I'm so exciteddddddddd! This news totally made my day and week. I was very doubtful I would be able to afford this entire thing, but this 800 dollars will make a world of difference. Thank goodness everything is coming together! I'm so very grateful.

End of the Semester is near!

This semester is almost over! Thank goodness, I really had a hard time this semester. Lots and lots of busy work and homework. I havent written a research paper yet! So pretty much the opposite of last semester that was paper, after paper, then some more papers. But only three more weeks left. Im done with my last final on May 11th! YAY! Once this semester is done, time to bust out the books and coursework for my summer classes. This stuff i'm actually interested in, so I should enjoy all of it! I cant wait for the trip, its getting so close!

Anyways, fundraising for the trip is going well. Im still sending out packets left and right to everyone, and im just trying to spread the word. Thank you to everyone who has donated so far, be expecting a thank you card soon! I love you all so much, and your generosity is unforgettable. 

So I went to Barnes&Noble yesterday and picked up two books to read. I picked up Jihad v. McWorld by Benjamin Barber (an AMAZING author) and How Soccer Explains the World. Both books are theories of globalization. I have already started Barber's book, and love it so far. Well, Im counting down the days until I get to go to Cape Town. Its all thats on my mind!  

Xhosa Party Tonight!

Yay! Tonight is our first South Africa bonding experience (other than the meetings), we are all meeting at Karl's House around 6 to have a potluck and practice our Xhosa skills. Xhosa is the dialect they speak in Khayelitsha, the township we are going to be staying in for two weeks. They speak english too, but we really want to impress them with trying to communicate with them in their native language. Xhosa is a "click" language, so its definitely going to take time and energy to master even basic sayings. But hey, its the thought that counts! So a majority of us are all meeting tonight to have some food and drinks, and practice! I'm really looking forward to forming incredible friendships with these other students, and spending time with them in Cape Town! The picture on this post is a picture of Khayelitsha, the township we will be living in for two weeks. This part of the program is going to be the most challenging, physically and mentally. But it's going to be an amazing experience, and really open my eyes to new things. I can't wait!!

-Kaitlin